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Interim Provisions for Quality Control Standards on Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Student in China

Interim Provisions for Quality Control Standards on Undergraduate Medical Education in English for International Student in China

2009-05-22 17:07:00

(moe.gov.cn)

（The English translation is for reference only. In case of discrepancy,
the Ministry of Education of P.R.C. reserves the authority for final interpretation.）

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 These provisions are formulated for the purpose of standardizing the management of undergraduate medical education in English for international students in China, ensuring quality teaching and promoting the sound development of education for international students.

Article 2 These provisions apply to the quality control of undergraduate education in English in clinical medicine for international students in China's higher educational institutions.

Article 3 The teaching plans for the undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China shall be developed to match the training objectives and requirements of the undergraduate medical education program for Chinese students. The basic requirements for international students shall also match those for Chinese students. On this premise, some appropriate changes and adjustments in the curriculum for Chinese students shall be made to better suit the requirements of the international student's home country or the third country where students may wish to practice medicine.

Article 4 The overall goal of the undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China is to train the undergraduate students to develop solid medical knowledge, standardized clinical skills, and an appropriate professional attitude, and to lay the foundation for their further study in medical research, health administration, etc.

Article 5 The length of schooling for the undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China is six years. On completing the requirements of the teaching program and passing the graduation examinations successfully, international medical undergraduates will be granted a graduation certificate and conferred a medical degree by the host institution, if they meet the degree regulations of the host institution. The English copy of the degree will state MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery).

Chapter II Training Standards

Article 6 The undergraduate medical education program for international students in China shall insist on the following principles:
(1) Teaching of medical knowledge shall be based on solid scientific principles and enable students to develop lifelong learning habits, corresponding clinical skills and appropriate professional ethics.
(2) Undergraduate medical education shall not only focus on the basic principles of medical science and clinical skills, but also develop students' analytical skills and their ability to make sound judgments based on evidence and experience.
(3) Graduates of the undergraduate medical students shall engage in effective medical practice under the guidance of senior physicians and become independent doctors through further professional education and training.

Article 7 International graduates of the undergraduate medical program shall demonstrate professionalism and ethics quality through exhibiting:
(1) Willingness to dedicate themselves to enhancing the health profession and fostering the well-being of the mind and body;
(2) Good care for patients, recognition of lifelong responsibility to prevent disease and eliminate symptoms, the moral obligation to provide hospice care, and the professional responsibility to safeguard the health interests of human beings;
(3) Ability to uphold principles and make full use of health resources;
(4) Devotion to lifelong learning and continuous self-improvement;
(5) Respect for each individual and their beliefs;
(6) Scientific attitude by seeking truth from evidence and getting help from other doctors when they are unable to solve medical problems by themselves;
(7) Sense of innovation;
(8) Spirit of teamwork;
(9) Ability to practice medicine in accordance with the laws and to use the laws to protect patients and their own rights and interests.

Article 8 International graduates of the undergraduate medical program shall demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of:
(1) Basic Chinese language and today's China;
(2) Mathematics, physics, chemistry, life science, behavioral science and social sciences, as they are related to medicine, and how to use this knowledge to guide their medical practice;
(3) Body structure and function in human beings, human behavior, and normal state of mind;
(4) Causes of common diseases and frequently-occurring diseases including mental illnesses, the impact of environmental, social, behavioral and psychological factors on the occurrence and development of diseases and the importance of disease prevention;
(5) Pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, diagnosis and preventive ways of common diseases and frequently-occurring diseases;
(6) Basic knowledge of pharmacology and clinical principles of rational drug use;
(7) Normal pregnancy and delivery, common obstetric emergency treatment, principles of prenatal and postnatal health care, and family planning;
(8) Health education and disease prevention, common diseases, disabilities, rehabilitation, hospice care, and general practice;
(9) Knowledge of clinical epidemiology;
(10) Basic patterns of development and spread of infectious diseases, and prevention of common infectious diseases;
(11) Principles of fair and effective distribution of health care services and rational use of limited medical resources;
(12) Basic characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its application based on an overall analysis of the patient's condition.

Article 9 International graduates of the undergraduate medical program shall be able to:
(1) Collect medical history comprehensively, systematically and correctly;
(2) Perform systematic and standardized physical and psychiatric examinations and write standard records;
(3) Make and express accurate clinical judgments;
(4) Diagnose and treat common and frequently-occurring diseases in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and other branches of medicine;
(5) Diagnose and treat general emergency cases;
(6) Select appropriate clinical diagnosis and treatment for patients;
(7) Improve treatment methods in medical practice by using the principles of evidence-based medicine;
(8) Communicate with patients and their families effectively and encourage patient cooperation;
(9) Share their experience with doctors and other medical personnel effectively;
(10) Analyze medical problems independently and acquire new knowledge and relevant information based on clinical practice, with the help of library databases and modern information technology;
(11) Publicize relevant knowledge about healthy lifestyles and disease prevention to patients and the general public;
(12) Study more independently and throughout their lives.

Chapter III Curriculum Planning

Article 10 Higher educational institutions that enroll international students for the undergraduate medical education program in English, under the requirements of medical and health service, the development of medical science and changes of medical mode, and in accordance with the standards of undergraduate medical education and the basic requirements of the curriculum by the Ministry of Education, shall plan the curriculum according to the actual requirements of the institutions. The curriculum and its basic requirements shall be defined clearly.

Article 11 The institutions shall integrate the curriculum reasonably. The curriculum shall include compulsory courses and elective courses. The proportion of compulsory courses and elective courses shall be determined according to the actual requirements.

Article 12 The institutions must have a special office which is responsible for the management of curriculum planning and implementation of the curriculum program for international medical students under the guidance of their related departments.

Article 13 The curriculum planning shall include the following three parts:
(1) Chinese culture and natural science courses, including an overview of China's culture, Chinese language, Chinese medical terminology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, physical education, etc. It is required to pass the examinations of these courses respectively.
(2) Basic medical sciences, behavioral science, humanities, social science and medical ethics, preventive medicine and clinical medicine. It is also required to pass the examinations of these courses respectively.
Basic medical sciences include human anatomy, histology and embryology, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, human parasitology, pathology, pharmacology, medical immunology, medical genetics, etc. These elements also embody forms of integration courses based on the basic medical sciences.
The courses of behavioral science, humanities, social science and medical ethics usually include medical psychology, medical ethics, social medicine, health economics, health law, health administration, etc.
Preventive medicine course includes epidemiology, health statistics, community prevention, occupational health and safety, environmental health, drug toxicology, food hygiene, nutrition and disease, maternal and child health and primary health care.
Clinical medicine courses typically include diagnosis, imaging diagnostics, internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, lemology, neurology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, stomatology, dermatology, psychiatry and mental health science, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, rehabilitation medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, etc. Clinical abilities include collecting the history, performing physical examinations and laboratory examinations, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, making and implementing the clinical plans and clinical operations, clinical judgment, emergency handling and communication skills. Clerkship is completed in the teaching hospitals of the host institution.
(3) Internship. The institutions shall meticulously organize the reasonable arrangement of the internship. The duration of the internship is one year (at least 48 weeks). The institutions can arrange the students to do their internships in the teaching hospitals of the host institutions or the teaching hospitals affiliated with the medical institutions approved by the Ministry of Health abroad. The institutions shall be strict in accordance with the plans to develop internship contents and requirements, and keep abreast of the development in the internship. After completing the internship, international students must take the graduation examination arranged by the host institution.

Article 14 In order to facilitate their learning and life in China and contact with patients in their medical practice, the Chinese language shall be a compulsory course during the whole undergraduate medical program in English for international students in China.

Chapter IV Teaching and Supervision

Article 15 The institutions shall take students as the center and self-study as the main education contents to actively reform teaching methods and lay great emphasis on developing scientific judgment and learning ability.
Teaching methods include new teaching and learning methods. The guiding, questioning and interactive methods are encouraged to use in teaching activities.

Article 16 The institutions shall establish the entire process of academic performance assessment system for international students and do some research on examination methods. The institutions shall provide clear provisions and notes for student's assessments to comprehensively assess student's knowledge, skills, behavior, attitude, and abilities to judge, analyze and solve clinical problems and communicate with others.
Assessment system includes formative assessment system and final evaluation system. The formative assessment system comprises tests, observational records and practice manual. The final evaluation system includes final course and comprehensive graduation examination.

Article 17 The institutions shall ensure that these evaluation activities will help to strengthen realization of the training objectives and satisfy course requirements and improve the learning ability of students. A comprehensive examination focused on practical ability is taken to encourage students to know their subjects from A to Z. The self-assessment is advocated to improve active learning capability. On decision of the amount and nature of examinations, the institutions shall pay attention to the leading roles of examinations and avoid negative effects of examinations.
Upon completion of all examinations, the examination analysis shall be conducted. The analysis results shall be in an appropriate type provided to the students, teachers and teaching staff to improve teaching level. An analysis of tests includes the overall results, the reliability and validity of examinations, difficulty and differentiation of questions, as well as analysis of professional contents.

Article 18 The institutions shall establish supervising and evaluating systems of course planning to improve teaching quality and set up a teaching supervision group in English to oversee the implementation of curriculum planning and the learning progress of international students and to ensure that problems can be found and solved in time.

Article 19 The teaching administration department of institutions shall establish comprehensive management regulations and set up a special office staffed with the corresponding personnel.

Chapter V Eligibility and Admission

Article 20 Applicants for the undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China shall hold a high school diploma and provide high school transcript with good marks. They shall also be in good health and have strong competence in English language. Students from non-native English speaking countries must provide the certificates of learning English in the primary and secondary schools or the certificates of English proficiency test. Moreover, students shall undertake to abide by the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic of China and school's regulations during their period of study in China.

Article 21 Applicants shall have reliable economic supports and guarantors. Medical insurance is compulsory during their period of study at the host institution.

Article 22 In order to guarantee the quality of students, admission processes shall be strictly controlled, which include the check of admission qualifications, entrance examinations or assessment. After the approval procedure in accordance with the regulations, the institution will recruit the eligible applicants and the International Student Affairs Office will send them the "Admission Notice" and "Foreign Students to Apply for Visa (JW 202 Form)".

Chapter VI Basic Conditions of Institutions

Article 23 Higher educational institutions that enroll international students for the undergraduate medical program in English in China shall have the authority to grant master's degree in Basic Medicine and Clinical Medicine (First-level Subjects), and the affiliated hospitals with Grade III, Level A.

Article 24 The institutions shall have those teachers who can teach all the subjects in English. The teaching hours of foreign teachers cannot exceed 20% of the total class hours. And each of foreign teachers cannot undertake more than one main course. Foreign teachers shall have the required degree or relevant professional title for the discipline of the course they teach. Foreign teachers in clinical practice courses should have doctor's license or temporary license in China and their employment shall meet state regulations.

Article 25 The institutions shall have strict regulations to examine teacher's qualifications and organize training for teachers. Before working at their posts, teachers shall be trained in teaching skills, English proficiency and the policy for international students. Only qualified teachers can work at these posts and the institutions shall offer opportunities for teacher's further training.

Article 27 The institutions shall have the library with English reference materials and professional information to help implement teaching programs and meet the needs of international students' and teachers' research activities. The library shall also have the corresponding staff to guide international students and provide computer enquiry service.

Article 28 The institutions shall have clinical teaching base for clinical teaching and internship for international students. The clinical teaching base shall be an affiliated hospital or teaching hospital with Grade III, Level A. The hospital shall provide certain number of beds for international students. The ratio of bed numbers to international students shall also tally with the regulation for Chinese medical undergraduate students.

Chapter VII Supplementary Provisions

Article 29 Standard of fees:
In accordance with Circular on Adjustment of the Standard of Fees for Self-funded International Students in China [Jiaowailai No.7 (1998)] co-issued by Ministry of Education (former as the State Education Commission) and State Development Reform Commission (former as the State Planning Commission), the tuition fees for the undergraduate medical education program for international students in China shall have an increase from 50% to 100%, as compared with the tuition fees of undergraduate liberal arts programs for international students in China. The tuition fee for undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China is allowed to increase to its maximum.

Article 30 The Ministry of Education will commission the Medical Education Expert Group to assess the teaching quality of the undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China and to publish the name list of the institutions and scale of admission. The Institutions that are not in the name list will not be allowed to enroll international students for the undergraduate medical program in English.
The Institutions that apply for enrolling international students for the undergraduate medical program in English shall be measured by the Medical Education Expert Group. The qualified institutions will be listed in the coming year's name list.

Article 31 Stomatology and other undergraduate medical education program in English for international students in China shall be implemented according to these standards and regulations.

Article 32 These standards and regulations will be put into effect after they are issued officially.